"Edward is an unrepentant brute. He never showed his true character until after our wedding. He does not make love to me. He has sex like dog. And whenever I was not in the mood, he would force me. I said you are raping me. He laughed it off and said there is no rape in marriage. He would yell that he is my husband and paid the bride price and so he has the right over me and my body, heart and soul," Kikelomo said as she served Ada biscuits and tea.
As Ada was leaving, Edward almost collided with her at the door. He hissed frowning and Ada hissed as she left. He slammed the door and yelled at Kikelomo.
"Gossip queens of Banana Island! Gossiping is all you can do. Tell her whatever you like. Rubbish. There is nothing else you can do. You are my wife for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part."
She did not reply.
"Serve me my lunch!"
She went to the kitchen to bring him food.
"I have to stop that madam gossip from coming to my house before the birth of my child. Because, I don't want what happened to that innocent toddler to happen to my own baby. The mother and her partners in gossip were carried away gossiping and she did not see when her baby walked out of the living room. The nanny was busy in the kitchen. The little boy waddled to the swimming pool, stumbled and fell into the pool. Before they realized what had happened, the baby had drowned. Horrifying tragedy and an innocent baby died, because the foolish mother was gossiping with other women.
Another gossiping wife forgot that she was boiling water in the kitchen and whilst she was gossiping on the phone chor-chor-chor, boom! The kettle exploded!"
Kikelomo did not reply.
A month later, Edward had to travel out of town.
"It is only for four days," he said.
"All right. Have a safe trip. See you soon," said Kikelomo.
"I know you will miss me. The house is always boring without me," he said and smirked.
"Of course," said Kikelomo.
Later that day, Kikelomo made a phonecall.
Two men in construction site overalls came with diggers. And she led them to the bedroom.
"As I said, the pit should have a depth of 12ft. Then 4-inch (100mm) thick reinforced concrete slab of 4ft by 4ft," she said.
"Okay, madam. That's our job," said one of them.
"It will be completed by tomorrow," said his colleague.
They shifted the bed from the wall.
Kikelomo sighed and went to the living room to watch TV.
This is the the continuation of "Murder in the Bedroom", A Crime Thriller
FAME Week Africa, in partnership with MultiChoice Group, a CANAL+ company, has announced the MultiChoice Group Premium Drama Call for Projects, inviting producers across Africa to submit original drama series concepts for potential commissioning.
The call is looking for high-concept, contemporary drama series that are commercially appealing, action-driven and rooted in authentic African stories. Projects should explore universal themes, offer aspirational storytelling and have the potential to connect audiences across at least two African territories.
Projects can submit concepts in any African language, English or French, as long as their cultural authenticity remains central to the project.
MultiChoice Group and FAME Week Africa Open Drama Commissioning Call for African Producers.
Literacy Day Marked in Lagos as Solar Tablets Reach Nigerian Classrooms
LAGOS — 9 September 2026
The World Literacy Foundation celebrated International Literacy Day in Lagos yesterday with an event that brought together partners, educators, and youth ambassadors to highlight its initiatives in Nigeria, including the Sun Books and Pen Pal programs.
The attendees included representatives from Sterling Bank, Money Africa, TotalEnergies, Heirs Energies, and Coronation Group. Also present were head teachers from Ikota Nursery and Primary School and El Perez Nursery and Primary School, the education secretary for Eti-Osa Local Government, and Youth Ambassador Rayman Agban.
The event pointed out the urgent need for a new approach to literacy intervention in Nigeria, which has the highest number of out-of-school children globally. According to UNICEF, approximately 18.3 million children are not enrolled in school in Nigeria, with around 10.2 million of those being of primary school age.
Being in school does not guarantee literacy. Nigeria's adult literacy rate is approximately 70 percent, with the most significant challenges found in the Northwest and Northeast regions. Education Minister Dr. Tunji Alausa has pointed out that these two regions have received 80 percent of the country's education donor funding over the past decade, yet they continue to show the weakest educational outcomes.
Sun Books provides solar-powered tablets preloaded with up to 600 e-books, stories, educational games, videos, and audiobooks in both local languages and English. These tablets do not require mains electricity or an internet connection, making them essential for communities with unreliable resources. In addition, teachers receive training when these devices are introduced.
Since its launch in 2014, the program has distributed over 1,000 tablets. In Nigeria, it is active in Rivers State and also operates in Uganda, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.
Andrew Kay, CEO and Founder of the World Literacy Foundation, emphasized that "literacy goes beyond just learning to read; it is a crucial key to unlocking opportunities, reducing poverty, and helping children reach their full potential." He also noted that "millions of young people still lack access to books and the essential support needed for literacy."
The figures behind the concern:
Nigeria has an estimated 18.3 million children who are out of school, with 10.2 million of this population being of primary school age, according to UNICEF.
Nigeria's adult literacy rate stands at approximately 70 percent, indicating that nearly three in ten adults are unable to read or write a basic statement, according to the World Bank.
Learning poverty impacts 64 percent of children in rural Nigeria, compared to 54 percent in urban areas.
Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rates of educational exclusion in the world, with approximately 182 million adults lacking basic reading skills, according to UNESCO.
Approximately 739 million adults around the world are unable to read or write, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
The Foundation's One Book at a Time campaign encourages people around the globe to contribute $10 to provide a book for a child in need. The goal is to reach 500,000 children, and donors have the option to select Africa as the region where their book will be sent.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of International Literacy Day, which was established by UNESCO in 1966. The theme for 2026 is "Literacy for People, the Planet, and Prosperity."
What makes a movie real or not real is not the medium, but the heart and soul of the story in motion picture.
- EKENYERENGOZI Michael Chima
Using AI as a tool for making movies is like the softwares used for the production of animated movies: Autodesk Maya; the industry standard for 3D cinematic feature films, modeling, advanced character rigging, complex simulation, and rendering; Blender, a powerful, free, and open-source 3D creation suite used by independent filmmakers for everything from modeling to 2D/3D hybrid animation; Pixar RenderMan; Pixar’s proprietary, high-quality rendering software that is widely utilized by major studios to calculate photorealistic lighting, shading, and geometry; Houdini, the go-to tool for visual effects (VFX), specifically procedural simulations like fire, smoke, water, explosions, and destruction and ZBrush, a digital sculpting tool used by character designers to create highly detailed, clay-like 3D models before they are animated.
Hollywood uses a combination of industry-standard software programs for different stages of the computer-generated imagery (CGI) and visual effects (VFX) pipeline for many of the blockbusters of superheroes and epic films.
AI has made CGI more advanced for the best film and TV productions.
How AI Connects with CGI Workflows:
Faster Ideation: Artists use AI tools to quickly generate mood boards, concept art, and visual references before building 3D models.
Automated Tasks:
AI plugins inside traditional CGI software automate time-consuming jobs like motion tracking, rotoscoping, and rigging.
Enhanced Physics: AI analyzes real-world physics to help CGI software render realistic effects like fire, smoke, and water simulation.
Texture and Detail: Tools use machine learning to upscale textures and clean up render noise, reducing render times.
Key Differences Between AI and CGI
Control:
CGI software allows artists to manually adjust every vertex, light source, and camera angle.
AI generates pixels based on probability rather than precise measurements.
Consistency: CGI keeps objects and characters identical across different camera angles.
AI can alter details or geometry between generations if the user does not have the technical expertise for the correct and exact photography and cinematography.
Image produced with Google Gemini
@Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima. All rights reserved
There were both male and female leviathan sea monsters.
I have completed the generations of one headed, three headed and seven headed leviathan sea monsters for my epic trilogy on the leviathan that Almighty God said that humans cannot conquer or tame it, but God can and will destroy it.
Human Helplessness vs. God's Supreme Power
In Job 41: God asks Job if he can catch the Leviathan with a hook, tie its tongue down with a rope, or pierce its skin with a spear (Job 41:1–2). God emphasizes that no human has the strength to stand up to it or subdue it. The point is to show human weakness and humility compared to the Creator.
"Psalm 74:14:
States that God broke the heads of the leviathan in the waters.
Isaiah 27:1:
Prophesies, “In that day, the Lord will punish with his sword—his fierce, great and powerful sword—Leviathan the gliding serpent, Leviathan the coiling serpent; he will slay the monster of the sea.”
Video The leviathan sea monster with three heads and forked tongues in roar in the thunder storm and lightning in the turbulent sea.
Video creation and production design: Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima Generated with Adobe Firefly Gemini cinematic sound effects of thunder claps and lightning flashes from my file of sound effects.
My short film, "Ngozika and the Magic Water Pot" was crafted and not prompted.
Crafting and prompting AI films involves combining structured text generation (like Claude or GPT) with specialized video-generation tools (like Seedance, Luma, or Higgsfield) to maintain character and scene consistency.
Core AI Filmmaking Workflow
Concept and Scripting: Write your baseline logline or narrative idea, then use an assistant like Claude to break the concept down into a structured script, scene list, or shot-by-shot prompts.
Visual Anchors and Character Sheets: Generate reference images or character turnaround sheets first using tools like Nano Banana Pro or Ltx Studio to lock in faces, wardrobe, and distinct visual styles before animating.
Prompt Engineering by Category:
Structure prompts with explicit cinematic terminology—specifying camera lenses (e.g., 35mm T1.4), specific lighting setups, framing angles, and precise motion rather than vague descriptions.
Generation and Iteration: Feed reference character IDs and storyboard frames into video models (such as Higgsfield or Luma Dream Machine) to generate short clips, using start and end frames to control pacing.
Editing and Audio: Export your clips into a traditional non-linear editor like Da Vinci Resolve, and layer in voiceovers, background tracks, and sound effects using platforms like ElevenLabs.
Crafted AI films rely on a structured pre-production workflow, whereas prompted AI films rely on direct text generation.
Prompted AI Films
Direct generation: You type a text command into an AI video generator and let the model create the scene instantly.
Speed: Fast and useful for quick tests, concepts, or abstract clips.
Drawbacks: Often results in inconsistent characters, shifting backgrounds, and a disconnected narrative feel.
Crafted AI Films
Structured workflow: You plan the story, script, and visual style before generating any video.
Asset control: You create specific character sheets and location references to keep appearances uniform across every shot.
Post-production: You edit clips together in software like Da Vinci Resolve or CapCut to fix errors and add synchronized sound.
To make a full story-driven AI movie, you must use the crafted approach. Direct prompting alone will cause your characters, lighting, and backgrounds to change completely from shot to shot.
Building a coherent feature or short film requires a structured, multi-step production pipeline.
1. Scripting & Visual Planning
Write a tight script: Use tools like ChatGPT or Claude to format a standard screenplay.
Generate a storyboard: Create consecutive image references for every single scene.
Build image-to-video assets: Always use an image as your video starting point, rather than just text, to maintain control over composition.
2. Consistency Framework (The "Crafted" Core)
Character seeds: Generate a master portrait of your character from multiple angles using image generators like Midjourney.
Consistent reference (Cref): Use character reference parameters to lock in facial features across different scenes.
Style sheets: Save specific prompt modifiers (e.g., "35mm anamorphic lens, moody cyberpunk lighting, muted color palette") to apply to every background image.
3. Video Generation & Movement
Animate the stills: Feed your consistent master images into video engines like Runway Gen-3, Luma Dream Machine, or Sora.
Keep camera motion subtle: Large camera movements cause AI video to warp and distort. Stick to pans, tilts, and slow zooms.
Upscale key shots: Use video enhancers like Topaz Labs Video AI to clean up low-resolution artifacts before editing.
4. Audio & Post-Production
Voice cloning: Use ElevenLabs to generate consistent, emotionally expressive character dialogue.
Sound design: Layer background ambiances, foley (footsteps, clothing rustle), and cinematic music tracks in an editor.
Traditional editing: Piece your clips together in DaVinci Resolve or Adobe Premiere. Use color grading to blend different AI generations into a unified visual look.
Step-by-Step Production Roadmap
Here is a complete project blueprint to guide you from concept to final render. You can download this checklist to track your progress:
Here is your file: ai_movie_production_roadmap.md.
Phase 1: Pre-Production: Scripting, character design, and style guiding.
Phase 2: Asset Generation: Generating consistent images and animating them into video clips.
Phase 3: Audio & Editing: Dialogue creation, sound layering, pacing, and color grading.
(Note: The blueprint has been successfully.
To create a historical epic with AI, you biggest challenge is historical accuracy and scale. AI video models easily mix up eras, clothing styles, and architecture. You must use precise visual terminology to force the AI to maintain a grounded, big-budget cinematic look.
Here is your production kit for a historical epic.
1. Visual Style & Cinematic Prompts
Lenses selection:
Use terms like "Panavision anamorphic lenses" or "70mm IMAX format" to get wide, sweeping epic framing.
Lighting style: Use "Chiaroscuro lighting", "natural golden hour sunlight", or "flickering torchlight" to mimic period films like Gladiator or The King.
Color grading: Specify color palettes such as "muted earth tones, deep crimson accents, and desaturated blues" to avoid a cheap, oversaturated digital look.
2. Crafting Massive Scale (Battles & Cities)
Crowd generation: Avoid asking for "thousands of soldiers marching." AI will warp the faces and bodies. Instead, prompt for a "low-angle wide shot of an army encampment, hundreds of tents, smoke rising, silhouettes".
Environmental plates: Establish your setting first. Prompt for "wide aerial drone shot of ancient Roman marble colosseum, pristine condition, 1st century AD, dusty atmosphere".
The "Fog of War" trick: Add "heavy atmospheric haze, dust particles floating, dense smoke" to your prompts. This hides AI background glitches and enhances the epic mood.
3. Maintaining Historical Accuracy
Specify materials: Do not just say "armor" or "dress." Say "weathered iron lorica segmentata armor with leather straps" or "coarse linen tunic with gold embroidery".
Architectural cues: Detail the textures. Use terms like "eroded limestone pillars", "rough-hewn wooden palisades", or "cracked cobblestone streets".
Avoid modern buzzwords: Never use words like "photorealistic" or "hyperrealistic." Use historical references instead: "historical oil painting texture, gritty realism, 35mm film grain".
4. Audio Architecture
Orchestral weight: Use AI music tools like Udio or Suno to generate a "slow, swelling orchestral brass theme with heavy taiko drums and driving cellos".
Soundscapes: Layer continuous background audio. You will need tracks of "distant clashing iron, horse whinnies, heavy wind gusts, and crackling campfires" to sell the environment.
Historical Epic Prompt Templates
Copy and paste these master formulas into your image generator (like Midjourney or Flux) before animating them:
text
[Character Close-Up]
Cinematic medium close-up of a battle-weary 14th-century knight, mud splattered on face, deeply detailed eyes reflecting campfire light, dented steel chainmail armor. Shot on 70mm lens, film grain, historical realism, dark moody atmosphere --ar 16:9
Use code with caution.
text
[The Wide Establishing Shot]
An Establishing wide shot of an ancient mountain fortress at sunrise, stone towers cutting through thick low-hanging fog, torchlight flickering on the ramparts. Epic scale, cinematic lighting, 8k resolution, historical drama aesthetic --ar 16:9
Use code with caution.
Kikelomo did not know that Edward was a bully until after their wedding.
Their marriage became living in bondage.
She had been lured and tricked into marriage by a psychopath. This was not the same prince charming she fell in love with four years ago. She was now like a bird in a cage.
"Fast and pray sister Kikelomo..There is nothing beyond the supreme power of our Almighty Baba God. Trust and see," said Pastor Jide Ajayi.
"But he is unrepentant," she said.
"Don't give up," he said as she stood up to leave.
She sighed and put on the large sunglasses covering her black eyes. She had shown him the bruises on her arms. He only shook his head and said he believed that one day her husband would regret all he done and become born again. She did not say Amen.
"Demons don't listen to sermons," said Ada whom she always confided in. She was her closest friend and a fearless realist.
PS:
From my original script for one of my new film projects, a crime thriller on domestic violence in marriage and tragic end.
